


Burn Bright

by NetflixAllDayNetflixAllNight



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 05:57:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11983611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NetflixAllDayNetflixAllNight/pseuds/NetflixAllDayNetflixAllNight
Summary: If there was anything that Callie knew when she walked into her new office, it's that everyone who worked here was so incredibly... normal. Not that normal is bad, it's just that all her life had been anything but normal. Normalcy was hard to fake, but she could try, so she straightened her skirt, readjusted her bag, and walked in acting as if normal was all she knew.





	Burn Bright

If there was anything that Callie knew when she walked into her new office, it's that everyone who worked here was so incredibly... normal. Not that normal is bad, it's just that all her life had been anything but normal. Normalcy was hard to fake, but she could try, so she straightened her skirt, readjusted her bag, and walked in acting as if normal was all she knew.  
She walked up the stairs to her new boss's door and knocked softly. Moments later, Erin Strauss opened the door, looking almost annoyed. When she saw Callie, she smiled.  
"Miss Zayas," Strauss greeted,  
"Madame Strauss," She replied, only slightly terrified.  
"Welcome to your first day working for the FBI.” Strauss said. Callie let out a nervous laugh.  
Strauss continued, “Let me show you to your office."  
My office? Callie thought. She followed her new boss down the hallway that she had just come from. It was silent except for the sound of her heels clicking on the tile floor.  
"I-I have my own office?" Callie finally asked.  
"Well, yes," Strauss said, leading Callie into an empty room at the end of the hall, "You aren't part of a specific department. You'll just be working cases that cater to your-” She paused, trying to find the right word, “-specialty as they come in and will be working with the team that takes the case. There are already a few files on your desk, but you can take a day to get settled in before you start working them. You also will need to have a go bag ready in case you need to travel,”  
"Oh, okay," Callie said softly, “Thank you, ma’am.” My own office... She thought.  
"I'll leave you to get settled." Strauss said, turning and stepping out of the room.  
The office was empty and dusty. There were two big windows with heavy curtains on the back wall. Her desk was mostly bare, except for a nameplate, some unsharpened pencils, and a small stack of case files. She sat in the oversized leather chair and opened the first one. 

 

When Callie got to work the next day, Strauss was already waiting in her office. She immediately started, “You’ve got a case in San Diego.Seven fires set in fifteen days, ending in nine casualties. All have been in high end restaurants and hotels. You'll be working with our Behavioral Analysis Unit, led by SSA Aaron Hotchner. They've already started going over the case," She said, leading Callie to a conference room.  
There were six people sitting at a round table and a seventh woman standing at the front by a monitor, remote in hand. The monitor had pictures of a scorched building on it, a restaurant with a sign that looks like it used to say The Oceanaire Seafood Room.  
"This is Agent Zayas." Strauss spoke to the room, "She's our new resident pyrologist. She's going to be helping you on the case."  
The woman by the screens walked forward. She had big blonde curls and a bright smile. She held out her hand to shake Callie's.  
"Hello, Zayas. It's great to meet you. I'm Penelope Garcia, the computer whiz of the team,” She smiled,” This is Rossi, Hotch, JJ, Morgan, Prentiss and Dr. Reid. Oh, and here's the case file," Penelope handed her a thick file then went back up to the screen. Callie flipped the file open and looked at the pictures of the burnt buildings.  
"The police say that the Unsub-” She looked at Callie, “Unknown subject- probably used gasoline to light the fires." Penelope said.  
"That doesn’t look right," Callie and one of the other agents, Dr. Reid, said at the same time. He had an angular face and short hair that was fluffy on top.  
"Oh, go ahead." He said to her.  
"Um yeah, okay so," she said, walking up to the monitor, "The scorch marks on the tables here- along with the way the fire traveled up these tablecloths- and the burns on the floor and walls here- and here-” She said, pointing at the pictures, “It shows that the... unsub?" Callie looked to Penelope, who nodded, "the unsub used something that was way too hot to just be gasoline."  
"Do you know what he used then?" Asked Hotch, who looked intimidating in his dark suit.  
“I’d have to be there to know for sure but it looks like it might be touline. It’s used in  
paints and adhesives and it burns almost four hundred degrees hotter than regular gas.”  
Everyone looked back at Reid, as if waiting for him to add something.  
"Um.. yeah that's right." He said. Callie smiled softly at him.  
“Well, we had better get going.” Hotch said. He turned to Callie, “Do you have a go bag ready?” She nodded “Great, because based on the pattern of the fires, there’ll be another one tomorrow night. We want to catch him before too many more people get hurt. Wheels up in twenty.” He got up and left the room, followed by Rossi and Prentiss.  
Callie put her bag on the table to put the file in it. JJ stood up and walked around the table to stand next to her.  
“You new to the FBI?” She asked.  
“It’s that obvious?” Callie said.  
JJ laughed, “A little bit, yeah. Don’t worry, it’s not that scary. Strauss said you’re a pyrologist right? I didn’t know we had one of those working here.”  
“That’s because we usually don’t.” Someone said. Callie looked up, it was Reid again. “Normally, we’d just call one in if there’s a case that’s especially difficult. I actually was surprised to find out that she was hiring a resident pyrologist. You must be good, especially for someone so young. Although I do know what it’s like. I joined the BAU when I was twenty three.”  
Callie just stared at him, “You were twenty three? How did you-”  
A different agent interjected this time, Morgan. “Little Dr. Reid here is basically a  
genius.” He put his arm around Reid’s shoulder and continued , “Tell me, how many books have you read today? Three? Four?”  
Reid laughed awkwardly and shrugged his colleague’s arm off, he obviously didn’t like having all the attention on himself.  
“Alright, pretty boy. I’ll leave you alone. See you guys on the plane.” Morgan said, flashing a smile before walking away.  
“I’ve got to go too, gotta call Will and tell him where we’re going. See you later, Spence. Nice to meet you, Zayas.” JJ said, pulling her phone out and leaving the room.  
Callie looked down, not sure what to say. She noticed that Reid had two different socks on. One was blue and purple striped and the other was black with sharks on it.  
“So, Garcia said you’re a doctor?” She asked.  
“Well, they’re Ph.D’s. I’m not a medical doctor.” He replied.  
“‘They’re’, as in, you have more than one?”  
“Three, actually.” He clarified,  
“How did you…” She started again but then remembered, “Oh right, you’re a genius.” She said.  
“I’m not sure if I’d call myself a genius but I do have an I.Q of 187, an eidetic memory, and can read up to 20,000 words per minute.” He admitted.  
Callie giggled, “So, a genius,” she said, smiling at him.  
He smiled back, “Alright, a genius.”  
They stood in silence for a moment before Callie asked, “So, is there any coffee in this place or are you guys gonna make me go through withdrawal?”  
Reid laughed, “Yeah, we do, but I have to warn you, it’s just as terrible as they say it is,” He said.  
“Whatever gets me through the day,” Callie said. They left the conference room and headed into a little kitchen area with a fridge and a coffee pot. Reid pulled some disposable cups out of the cabinet and handed one to her. She poured it and took a sip.  
“Wow,” She marveled at just how bad it was. “Remind me to put a coffee pot in my office. I might even let you have some if you’re nice.”  
“Does that mean that even if I am nice, there’s a chance that you still wouldn’t let me have any?” He asked.  
“That is a possibility, but I’m not sure if I’d be that cruel to you.” She said  
Their conversation was cut short by Hotch coming out of his office and speaking to the room.  
“BAU team, let’s go.”


End file.
